Page 42 of Hunting for her Heart
He nods. “Yes, it wiped out half of their group. The other three ran off in the opposite direction you went, so we followed you instead of finishing them off.”
“I’m glad,” I say, wrapping my arms a little tighteraround Hawk.
“Did you see the beast attack?” Bo asks. I lift my head and see him right behind us, looking at me with concern.
An image of it killing Valen springs into my mind, and I nod. “He bit off a man’s head.” I swallow the lump in my throat before adding, “It all happened so fast.”
Bo reaches up and rubs his hand down the back of my head. “I’m sorry we didn’t protect you from that, Willow. We’ll do better, I promise.”
I place my hand on his arm and give him a reassuring squeeze. “It wasn’t your fault. And you saved me when it really mattered.” I can’t imagine what would have happened if they hadn’t found me when they did. That man had zero good intentions about what he was about to do to me.
“I’m never letting you pee alone again,” Hawk grumbles into my neck.
“Good,” I whisper back, holding him just a little bit tighter.
Chapter Fourteen
Willow
We walk for hours. Well, the guys do, taking turns to carry me. At first, I kept trying to tell them I could walk on my own because I thought I must be a burden to carry. But then, when I realized their arguments over who would carry me next were because they allwantedto do it, I stopped resisting.
Being carried by these giant Vikings isn’t exactly a hardship on my part. In fact, it’s helping me get used to being so close to them. I’d never even hugged a man before I came here. They make me feel things I’ve never felt before: protected, safe, cared for, and special.
Every so often, I’m hand-fed berries and nuts as we continue through the forest. This place must be huge, and considering I found the edge of it so quickly, the other direction must go on for miles and miles.
I’m currently wrapped around Bo’s front, so when he stops, I have to turn my head to see why. Ronan has stopped in front of us at the edge of the tree line. I unhook my legsfrom Bo, and he gently sets me on my feet and grabs my hand as Hawk joins us, and we move up to Ronan’s side.
In front of us is a giant clearing, hundreds of feet separating us from the tree line at the other side. And in the very middle is a brown wooden box.
“It’s one of the crates!” Bo says excitedly.
“We’ll be vulnerable stepping out into such an open area,” Ronan says as he scans the rest of the treeline. “Hawk, you stay here with Willow and keep her out of sight. Bo and I will go check it out, and if it’s safe, I’ll signal you. I want you to run across with her to the other side. I don’t want to risk her being out there too long.”
“Understood,” Hawk says before scooping me up in his arms and taking a few steps to our left, and then setting me down behind a large tree. I turn so I can peek out and watch as they make their way across the field, their weapons out and at the ready.
Hawk presses up to my back, mirroring my position, but instead of placing his hands on the tree, he wraps one around my middle, and the other around the front of my shoulders, holding me firmly against him.
“I notice you guys like to touch me a lot,” I whisper in a moment of boldness.
He hugs me a little tighter, and I feel him nod, his chin moving against the side of my head. “It’s hard not to be touching you all the time.”
That surprises me a little. “Really?”
“Yes,” he whispers close to my ear, making my body start to tingle with awareness. “Being close to you is all I think about.”
I bite my lip as I try to hide my smile, his words lightingme up from the inside. I watch as Ronan and Bo reach the crate and easily pry it open.
It’s hard to see from here, but it looks like they pull out a blanket or some sort of large piece of fabric. After two minutes, Ronan signals to us.
“I’m gonna move quickly, so hold on,” Hawk warns as he turns me to face him and lifts me up, my body wrapped around his front.
I notice they’ve been carrying me this way all day, unlike yesterday when I was on their backs. I’m not sure why the change, but I like it more.
Hawk steps into the clearing and then runs. I bounce against him and have to squeeze my legs a little tighter around his waist to keep us anchored together. When we reach the other two, Hawk doesn’t slow, and Ronan and Bo start to run with us, across to the other side of the clearing.
This position has my core rubbing up and down Hawk’s hard abs, and desire starts to bloom deep inside, stronger than it ever has before. I’m unsure what to make of it or what to do about it. I try to pull my hips away from him, but he pulls me closer, afraid I’ll fall.
By the time we reach the other side, I’m practically throbbing between my legs. I glance over his shoulder at the field now behind us and see a trail of beautiful pink flowers opening up toward the sun, making me smile.
